Eminent author Barry Lopez to visit UCSD

Scientific findings about climate change and humanity’s impact on nature frequently make headlines. But what role can the arts play in raising awareness and understanding of these issues?

That question is the expected main focus of an upcoming conversation between National Book Award winner Barry Lopez and UC San Diego music professor Steven Schick.

The free public event, “Field Notes: Music and Words From Open Spaces,” will feature insights from the writer along with performances by Schick, a noted percussionist.

“We know Barry Lopez as a great naturalist and writer who has given us penetrating and poetic descriptions of landscapes as varied as the Arctic ice to the reefs of the Caribbean,” Schick said in a statement. “But as he argues powerfully for wise stewardship of these wild spaces, he also connects with ideas in music, theater and visual arts, underlining the way those art forms can connect with communities.”

The event is set to begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 20) in the Price Center East Ballroom, on the UC San Diego campus in La Jolla. To attend, register at helenedison.ucsd.edu.

The evening is meant to provide a backdrop for Schick’s Jan. 24 performance with the Renga Ensemble, paying tribute to Utah’s Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks.